Monday, November 28, 2022

7 to 8 a.m.    Registration and Breakfast

8 to 10 a.m.  Session: Beta Cell Development
Moderators: Jose Ortiz, City of Hope; Jen Ikle, Stanford University

Loss of the transcription factor RREB1 reduces cellular insulin content and alters gene expression in pancreatic beta cells
Nicole Krentz, Stanford University

Tyrosine hydroxylase positive beta cells as a paradigm for DNA methylation dependent control of beta cell heterogeneity
Nazia Parveen, City of Hope

Unlocking β-cell replication through the manipulation of αΕ-catenin function
Mark Andrade, University of Washington

The role of Groucho/TLE co-repressor proteins in human beta-cell development
Maria Hansen, University of Colorado

The role of transcription factors in oriented differentiation towards β cells
Luxin Ke, Case Western Reserve University

NKX2.2 and NKX6.1 in human islet cell fate determination
Christopher Schaaf, University of Colorado

The islet aggregation process is controlled by cell adhesion and can influence development of the pancreatic exocrine compartment
Wilma Tixi, City of Hope

Improving stem cell-derived pancreatic islets using single-cell multiome-inferred regulomes
Han Zhu, University of California San Diego

10 to 10:30 a.m.    Refreshment Break

10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.    Session: Beta Cell (Dys)function I
Moderators: Brandon Bauer, City of Hope; Yi-Chun Chen, University of British Columbia

P21-activated kinase enrichment in the islet β-cell ameliorates diet-induced glucose intolerance coordinate with increasing insulin gene transcription
Miwon Ahn, City of Hope

Excess cholesterol accumulation in islets induces mitochondrial dysfunction and impairs insulin secretion
Rehana Akter, University of Washington

Cers6 mediated β-cell ceramide accumulation impairs beta-cell function  
Jacqueline Bartholomew, Brigham Young University

Investigating the mechanisms of incretin-mediated beta cell responses
Michelle Chan, University of California Davis

Role of CCDC186 in the biogenesis of insulin granules
Amy Clippinger, University of Washington

Inhibitory GPCR signaling drives filamentous-actin reorganization in primary mouse beta cells
Ryan Hart, University of California Davis

Endogenous activators of Nr4a1 expression and activity
Jacob Herring, Brigham Young University

Insights into insulin secretion through the study of hyperinsulinism due to a common deletion on chromosome 9
Jennifer Ikle, Stanford University

12:30 to 1:30 p.m.      Lunch Break

1:30 to 3:30 p.m.        Session: Tech Time
Moderators: Ryan Hart, University of California Davis; Diti Chatterjee Bhowmick, City of Hope

Gene editing in primary human islet cells with ribonucleoprotein-based CRISPR/Cas9
Romina Bevacqua, Stanford University

[18F]MK-7246 for positron emission tomography imaging of beta cells surface marker GRP44
Pierre Cheung, Uppsala University

Utilizing multimodal imaging techniques to connect beta cell metabolism and function
Janielle Cuala, University of Southern California

Single nucleus transcriptome of human pancreatic islets identifies novel gene sets and β-cell subpopulations with dynamic transcriptional profiles  
Randy Kang, Mount Sinai Hospital

Modeling islet vascularization reveals microenvironmental components essential for functional maturation of hPSC-derived beta cells
Kim-Vy Nguyen-Ngoc, University of California San Diego

Unraveling endocannabinoid signaling in pancreatic beta-cells with Optically-Cleavable Targeted (OCT)-ligands
Janelle M Tobias, The Ohio State University

Chemical photoswitches to reversibly manipulate cannabinoid receptor activity in endocrine cell types  
Alexander Viray, The Ohio State University

Application of fluorescent lifetime imaging microscopy to evaluate islet cell metabolism in vivo and in vitro
Zhongying Wang, University of California Los Angeles

3:30 to 4 p.m.   Refreshment Break

4 to 6 p.m.        Session: Beyond the Beta Cell
Moderators: Maria Hansen, University of Colorado; Wilma Tixi, City of Hope

The adaptor protein Mig6 mediates alpha and beta cell fate
Brandon Bauer, City of Hope

NKX2.2 maintains α cell identity by directly regulating cell specific gene transcription
Elliott Brooks, University of Colorado

CD47, Thrombospondin-1, and SIRPα display cell-specific molecular signatures in human islets and pancreas
Neslihan Erdem, City of Hope

Extracellular matrix stiffness mediates insulin secretion in pancreatic islets via phosphofructokinase activity
Chelsea Garcia, Colorado School of Mines

Beta and delta cells do not communicate via beta cell-like gap junctions
Mohammad Pourhosseinzadeh, University of California Davis

Endothelial regulation of the pancreatic islet: Role of endothelial AGO1 in beta cell function
Alonso Tapia, City of Hope

Transcriptomic profiling of islet macrophages in health and disease
Jane Velghe, University of British Columbia

Incorporating genetic risk and ancestry into characterization of human islets from the Integrated Islet Distribution Program (IIDP) program
Seth Sharp, Stanford University

7 to 8:30 p.m.    Grodsky Keynote Lecture and Dinner
Moderator: TBD

2022 Gerold M. Grodsky Awardee
Bruce Verchere, Ph.D., University of British Columbia
 

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

7 to 8 a.m.   
Registration and Breakfast

8 to 10 a.m.        Session: Beta Dell (Dys)function II
Moderators: Elliott Brooks, University of Colorado; Joanna Filipowska, City of Hope

Identification and quantification of endogenous trace amines in β-cells – manipulating biochemical pathways
Kaya Keutler, The Ohio State University

PTPN2 regulates mitochondrial function in the context of type 1 diabetes-like stress conditions
YongKyung Kim, University of Colorado

Sox9 regulates alternative splicing and pancreatic beta cell function
Hasna Maachi, University of California San Francisco

Murine pancreatic acinar cells require expression of Tff2 to support beta cell development and function during aging
Jose Ortiz, City of Hope

CHD4-mediated transcriptional regulation of pancreatic beta cell maturation and function
Dylan Sarbaugh, University of Colorado

Type 1 diabetes patients with protective insulin alleles have a lower risk of developing complications
Rene van Tienhoven, City of Hope

Integration of single-cell multiomic measurements across disease states with genetics identifies mechanisms of beta cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes
Gaowei Wang, University of California San Diego

Determining the impact of CALCOCO2 loss on human beta-cell function supports a role for autophagy in type 2 diabetes
Yingying Ye, Stanford University

10 to 10:30 a.m.    Refreshment Break

10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.    Session: Beta Cell Stress, Death, and Recovery
Moderators: Neslihan Erdem, City of Hope; Nicole Krentz, Stanford University

DOC2b reduces beta-cell stress and inflammation via blocking chemokine ligand expression under pro-inflammatory stress conditions
Diti Chatterjee Bhowmick, City of Hope

Reduced insulin secretion and improved glucose homeostasis in beta cell peptidyl-alpha amidating monooxygenase-deficient hIAPP-expressing mice
Yi-Chun Chen, University of British Columbia

The mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster protein BOLA3 enhances β-cell metabolism and function
Veronica Cochrane, University of California San Francisco 

Novel nanoparticle drug delivery therapy to selectively target islet β-cells
Jillian Collins, Colorado School of Mines

The proliferative and functional roles of CEBPa in Ins-1 832/13 cells and primary rat islets
Peter Ellsworth, Brigham Young University

LGR4: GPCR with a novel role in pancreatic β-cell health in basal and stress-induced conditions
Joanna Filipowska, City of Hope

Use of anti-CD3 antibody and harmine plus exendin-4 to enhance remission of recent-onset type 1 diabetes (T1D)
Geming Lu, Mount Sinai Hospital

Cohesin Smc3-mediated epigenetic regulation of functional beta-cell mass
Sneha Varghese, City of Hope

12:30 to 1:30 p.m.      Lunch Break

1:30 to 2:30 p.m.        Hutton Keynote Lecture
Moderator: Lori Sussel, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Barbara Davis Center

2022 John C. Hutton Awardee
The Effect of Challenging Paradigms in Beta Cell Biology
Senta K. Georgia, Ph.D., Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

2:30 to 3:30 p.m.        Session: Faculty Focus
Moderators: Michelle Chan, University of California Davis; Sneha Varghese, City of Hope

Humoral factors and circulating extracellular vesicles in type 1 diabetes induce beta cell cytotoxicity
Nagesha Guthalu Kondegowda, City of Hope

Antagonistic epistasis of Hnf4a and Foxo1 metabolic networks through enhancer interactions in beta cell function
Taiyi (Diana) Kuo, University of California Davis

Designing strategies to protect stem cell-derived beta cells from immune destruction
Audrey Parent, University of California San Francisco

Novel function(s) of the sweet taste receptor (TAS1R3) in islet beta-cells and skeletal muscle cells
Rajakrishnan Veluthakal, City of Hope

A sustained increase of basal insulin secretion accelerates β-cell failure during insulin resistance
Matthew Wortham, University of California San Diego

3:30 to 4:30 p.m.        Trainee Award Presentation

Gerold M. Grodsky Award

Gerry Grodsky, Ph.D., has been a central figure in the islet field for many decades. After completing his postdoctoral work at Cambridge in 1955, he joined the faculty at University of California San Francisco, where he has remained since. He was a pioneer in the development of the insulin radio immunoassay. His group has contributed a great deal to our understanding of mechanisms involved in the synthesis, storage and secretion of insulin, with emphasis on the kinetics and quantitative relationships of these mechanisms. From these studies came the description of the fast and slow phases of insulin release and the hypothesis that insulin is stored in compartments of differing availability for release. The rapid phase of insulin release was shown to be vital in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis and this discovery has been critical for the design of the closed-loop artificial pancreas, as well as faster acting beta-cell secretagogues, and fast absorbing insulin preparations. Grodsky has received numerous awards over his career and several award lectures have been named for him, including this WRISG award recognizing a leader in the islet biology field. He has been a constant presence at the Western Region Islet Study Group since its inception.

John C. Hutton Award

John C. Hutton, Ph.D., was an internationally acclaimed leader in diabetes research. He trained in labs all over the world including Bolivia, Brussels and Cambridge. Upon joining the faculty at the University of Cambridge in 1979, his research moved to the molecular cell biology of insulin secretion and the discovery of biomarkers of β-cell function and disease. In 1996, Hutton joined the Barbara Davis Center as its research director and expanded his research program to include human immunology and translational diabetes research. His laboratory was responsible for the discovery of many of the new β-cell targets of diabetic autoimmunity, including Imogen 38, phogrin (IA2-β), IGRP, and ZnT8 (SLC30A8). Using a combination of genetically manipulated animal models and studies in human subjects, he increased our understanding of pancreatic islet biology in the context of type 1 diabetes. Shortly after he moved to Denver, Hutton catalyzed the establishment of the West Coast Regional Islet Study Group (WRISG) meeting to promote interactions between islet biologists and their trainees. Unfortunately, in 2012, at the height of his career, Hutton died of cancer. In 2019, the WRISG John Hutton award for a promising early-stage investigator was established to honor his memory.

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